Point Reyes National Seashore celebrates 50 years this week

The Point Reyes National Seashore, which provides solace and solitude for millions of people annually against the backdrop of redwood groves, rolling surf along long stretches of beaches and a vibrant array of wildlife and plants, is turning 50 years old this week.

The park's 71,000 acres also provide a myriad of recreational uses, from hiking to camping to bird watching.

About 2.3 million people visit the park annually and the price can't be beat: Entry is free.

President John F. Kennedy signed the legislation to establish Point Reyes as a national park on Sept. 13, 1962.

But the park almost never was. Developers had their eye on the land and big plans for cities and freeways.

"Considering the intensive development pressures at the time, it remains an amazing accomplishment, and one that is easy to take for granted," said Cicely Muldoon, seashore superintendent.

It was George L. Collins, a Ross Valley resident and veteran planner for the National Park Service, who concluded in a June 1958 study that Point Reyes should become a national recreation area.

But opponents said the plan would take land off the tax rolls, the area was ill-suited to park use and that the county and California had enough parks. Foes included the Marin County Farm Bureau, the Marin Taxpayers Association, the Marin Coast Chamber of Commerce and the West Marin Property Owners Association.

In 1958, county supervisors initially voted 4-1 to oppose the plan. Supervisor Vera Schultz was the lone dissenter.

But park enthusiasts pushed ahead, and Rep. Clem Miller of Corte Madera introduced a measure in Congress in July 1959 to preserve it as a federal recreation area. By 1960, the heart of the proposed preserve was threatened with development, and Inverness Ridge was being logged.

Marin supervisors Peter Behr and Schultz, Rep. Miller, California's U.S. Sen. Clair M. Engle and others fought for the park. President Kennedy eventually signed a bill sponsored by Miller authorizing $14 million to acquire 64,000 acres for the park.

Less than a month later, Miller died in an airplane crash near Crescent City. Having spent tireless hours working to pass the seashore bill, Miller had fallen behind on campaigning for the November election and was out stumping when his plane crashed. He was 46. His body is buried in the national seashore.

But the struggle to preserve the area was not over. Even as late as 1967, an approved West Marin General Plan called for urban development of a 150,000-person community in the Point Reyes and Olema Valley area.

But those efforts were thwarted and in 1970, money was appropriated to purchase the remaining land for the park.

"It's amazing when you think about how this land became a protected park," said Deb Callahan, Point Reyes National Seashore Association executive director. "You can look back and see the determination that took place to really bear down and work hard through conflict to make it happen. It was an extraordinary example of what government and citizens can accomplish."

Callahan noted that many of those who established the park are no longer living or have become aged.

"It's a passing of the torch moment, and time for the next generation to get involved in the park," she said.

Muldoon too said it is important to get young people involved in protection of the park and for more to be "plugged into nature instead of iPods.

"You can't assume protection because of the designation," Muldoon said. "We want to foster public access and get people out here so they make the connection."

And there is much to protect.

The environmental significance of Point Reyes as a protected area continues to grow. The park has been named by the American Bird Conservancy as one of 100 Globally Important Bird Areas.

The park has dozens of federally threatened and endangered species in its boundaries. Almost 500 species of birds — 45 percent of the avian species in North America — have been seen on the peninsula.

Additionally, 60 species of mammals — 23 of which are marine mammals — and 900 species of flowering plants thrive in the park.

The park has four back-country campgrounds, miles of protected bays for kayaking, 150 miles of hiking trails and long stretches of beaches.

There are also issues to be tackled, invasive species and trail maintenance among them.

"The trails need a lot of help with erosion control, these are old fire and ranch roads," Muldoon said. "We are seeking public and private funding for repairs."

And there is the issue of the Drakes Bay Oyster Co., which has operations in the park in Drakes Estero. The lease to operate runs out in November; owner Kevin Lunny wants to stay, while park officials would like the area returned to nature.

"We will be glad when we are through it," Muldoon said of the oyster issue. "There is no apathy or lack of passion about public lands."

There are also 16 historic ranches on park land and their future is bright, the superintendent said.

"We are really proud of what ranching has done in the park," Muldoon said. "Ranching has survived better in the park than outside the park, it's a 50-year success story. I don't see that changing."

Rancher Jarrod Mendoza, who operates the historic "B" Ranch on park land, said relations with the seashore are good.

"One thing we have to consider out here is that we are in the park and we have to work with the park service and keep good relations with them," he said. "The ranches out here and the park service have had a good relationship. There have been a few bumps in the road, but for all these decades it has worked out pretty well."

John Dell'Osso, chief of interpretation at the park, noted it was the Coast Miwok and the early ranchers who were the first stewards of the land, a legacy passed on today's generation. He noted Lady Bird Johnson — wife of President Lyndon Johnson — summed up the park well when she visited in 1966.

"She said the Point Reyes National Seashore was, 'a bright star in the galaxy of conservation achievements,' and that still holds true," he said.